Hartt Grad In "American Idiot" Tour Heading To Bushnell

Jamal Shuriah, a Hartt School grad, will be in the ensemble of the international tour of Green Day's "American Idiot" when it comes to the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford Feb. 26 to March 3.

Alex Nee will star as Johnny, along with Thomas Hettrick as Tunny, Casey O’Farrell as Will, Alyssa DiPalma as Whatsername, Jenna Rubaii as The Extraordinary Girl, Kennedy Caughell as Heather and Trent Saunders as St. Jimmy.

The show, which received a 2010 Tony Award nomination as best musical and the 2010 Grammy Award winner for Best Musical Show Album, features the music of Green Day with lyrics by lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong. The book is by Armstrong and Michael Mayer and direction is byTony Award-winner Mayer (“Spring Awakening”).

The show is choreographed by Olivier Award-winner Steven Hoggett (“Black Watch”) with orchestrations and arrangements by Pulitzer Prize-winner Tom Kitt (“Next to Normal”).Thetour features Tony Award-winning scenic design by Christine Jones and Tony Award-winning lighting design by Kevin Adams.

The musical, which centers on the story of three boyhood friends, each searching for meaning in a post 9-11 world, features the hits “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” “Holiday” and the title track “American Idiot” from Green Day’s 2004 Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum album. Also included in the score are several songs from Green Day’s Grammy Award-winning 2009 release “21st Century Breakdown” including “21 Guns” and an unreleased love song, “When It’s Time.”

The tour also plays Worcester, Mass. Feb. 1 to 3 and Providence, R.I. Feb. 8 to 10 and the Shubert Theater in New Haven May 3 to 5.